Could low voter turnout mean elections changes?

Only 5.9 percent of more than 14,000 eligible voters cast ballots Tuesday in municipal elections in Cleveland County.

The turnout was a sharp decline from similar municipal elections in 2011, when nearly 19 percent of voters cast a ballot.

Shelby elected three city council members in the election Tuesday, while Kingstown elected a mayor and three council members.

Kingstown residents posted a 37.9 percent voter turnout, with 210 of 554 registered voters casting their ballots. Shelby posted a 4.7 percent turnout for all 10 of its precincts.

“No one from Lattimore voted. This is such a low voter turnout, even lower than normal,” said Debra Blanton, director of Cleveland County elections. “We’ve never had two people withdraw from an election, so that’s affected it.”

Two candidates—Neil Blanton and Kevin Allen—dropped out of Shelby races recently, leaving only one seat contested in Shelby.

That seat, Ward 5, was won Tuesday by Ben Kittrell. Dennis Bailey won re-election to Ward 4, and Fred Harrill Jr. was elected to Ward 1.

Blanton said in the future, the October election could be moved to November with the other nonpartisan elections. That would increase voter turnout, she said.

“We have always had it separate,” she said. “But it’s possible to change that.”

She said such a decision would be made by city council and that Mayor Stan Anthony had plans to change that when he first came into office in 2011.

“I think he’s ready to move on that and to change the way the election is run,” she said.